Medical Dictionary

aversive

Medical Definition of aversive

: tending to avoid or causing avoidance of a noxious or punishing stimulus <behavior modification by aversive conditioning>

aversively

adverb

aversiveness

noun

2

aversive

noun
aver·sive

Medical Definition of aversive

: a noxious or punishing stimulus used to suppress an undesirable behavior or habit <Aversives enter the picture because, although many “positive” (nonpunitive) methods for stopping self-injurious behaviors have been developed, they don't work in all cases.—Constance Holden, Science, 31 Aug. 1990>